Grand Cru Heist Now Available in Paperback

New York, NY

It's a perfect beach read escape. In Grand Cru Heist, authors Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen bring French wine country to life. The smell of the earth and the taste of the wine seep from pages of this cozy mystery.

Grand Cru Heist-the second in the Winemaker Detective mystery series-is a gourmet journey through France, travelling from Paris to Tours, the Loire Valley to Bordeaux, leaving stolen wine and dead bodies in its wake. Wine critic and amateur detective, Benjamin Cooker and his trusty assistant, Virgile, are hot on the trail, savoring local wines and food and capturing murderers and criminals before the police arrive on the scene.

These mysteries have a distinctly French flavor to them, and can appeal to readers who like Poirot, Wimsey and Marple, or people who simply enjoy France and wine.

Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen are the authors of this long-running made-for-TV mystery series focusing on the world of wine-making and wine-tasting. For them, each book is as much a mystery novel as a wine tasting-the discovery of a region, a wine and the people who make it.

According to one reviewer, "With poetic lyrics and brilliant rendering of atmosphere, Alaux and Balen have created a mystery series and armchair detective that are as mellow and delightful as a grand cru vintage."

Booklist says that this series "will whet the appetite of fans of both Iron Chef and Murder, She Wrote."

The Authors:

Jean-Pierre Alaux-a magazine, radio and television journalist and true Epicurean-teamed up with full-time writer and musician, Noël Balen, to write the Winemaker Detective Series, which now has 22 books. They came up with the idea for this mystery series while sharing a meal and a bottle of Château Gaudou 1996, a red wine from Cahors with smooth tannins and a balanced nose.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Praise for the Winemaker Detective series:

"Unusually adept at description, the authors manage to paint everything...The journey through its pages is not to be rushed." -ForeWord Reviews

"A terrific new series." -William Martin, New York Times bestselling author

"A fine vintage forged by the pens of two very different varietals. It is best consumed slightly chilled, and never alone." -Peter May, prize-winning, international bestselling author

"An excellent mystery series in which you eat, drink and discuss wine as much as you do murders." -Bernard Frank, Le Nouvel Observateur

Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen; translated by Anne Trager-published by Le French Book-ISBNs: 9781939474087 (ebook)/ 9781939474049 (trade paperback)/ 9781939474124 (hardcover)-First published in French (Pour qui sonne l'angélus, Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris)-Direct-to-digital translation available-Print version release: June 24, 2014

About Le French Book:
Le French Book (http://www.lefrenchbook.com) is a New York-based publisher specialized in great reads from France, with a growing catalog of top contemporary mysteries and thrillers with a French touch. An IPS publisher.

©2014 Le French Book, Inc. All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without notice.

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